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best products to use for detailing newbie


keeblerak17

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basically I have a black z, lately considering I was washing it regularly until the weather changed, im noticing swirl marks and light scratches on the paintwork along with some annoying bird c**p stains :angry: which I thought polished out, just wondering what the best stuff is to get rid of or atleast cover it, as its beginning to bug me! also wondering what the best products are for the care of the paint etc. ive never really ventured into waxing and that very much and ive never been a great detailer, but with a pricey car I know this time I cant look past it, ive heard meguairs ultimate compound is good for the above but no idea, anything helps, cheers

Edited by keeblerak17
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You can either try and remove the swirls (difficult without a machine) or just hide them up (easy but obviously not long lasting). If you have a darker car then something like the Poorboys Black Hole Glaze will do the job nicely if you go for the latter.

 

Bird waste stains will be very difficult to remove without a machine, so unless you're going to invest then I wouldn't even attempt to try.

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Dan's nailed your options. If you want the paint sorting, don't mind spending a few quid and you're not familiar with machine polishing kit, it's worth finding a local detailer who offers paint correction. Where abouts are you?

 

Once it's corrected you should be able to keep it in good condition with good two bucket wash technique and an application of a good sealant, with regular top ups.

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Sorry to jump in but im looking for something to hide the swirls on mine (ultra yellow) until i get it professionally detailed next year. Can anyone recommend a good product for my colour?

 

Black hole's sister, White Diamond for light colours.

 

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/glazes/poorboys-white-diamond/prod_551.html

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You'll get a lot of different opinions on here as everyone has their own preferences,

but as Ekona said, Poorboys Black Hole is great stuff for covering up swirl marks on dark coloured paint.

 

To finish off, I use Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer. Easy to apply and water just beads off for ages & ages afterwards. Awesome stuff!!

 

I'm just about to try Sonax Profiline Polymer Netshield, a sealant, which is like BSD, but with muscles!

Each application is supposed to last up to 6 months.

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There's about a billionty options. Luckily there's also about a billionty threads on this, but Ekona's pretty much covered it.

 

Depending on how much time and money you want to spend, your options are (from highest to lowest cost);

 

Pay a professional detailer to fix it for you.

Buy a machine polisher, learn how to use it then correct the paint yourself.

Buy a filler heavy glaze (almost all of which are better when applied by machine but can be applied by hand) and hide the damage or polish by hand (you won't get full correction, but a fair level is achievable... it's hard work by hand even on the buttery soft Nissan paint though!).

Live with it.

 

 

Which products you buy (if any) will largely be determined by your budget, so if you give us an idea of that we can make some more tailored suggestions. That said, Black Hole is a cheap but very effective filler glaze.

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I'm from East Anglia btw, in honesty the paintwork isn't bad it's just one of them things that we all notice from time to time, my budget isn't a massive issue, I looked at detailing last night and it was like 450 quid! That's a nice exhaust haha thanks again for the advice, best place to find a good machine polisher for a good price? I may pay a detailer in the future but I must admit I'm clueless on prices and where to go, thanks again

Edited by keeblerak17
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http://www.polishedb...g-kit-cat1.html - This kit has almost everything you'll need to correct the paint and offers a choice of machines. The DAS-6 is more than adequate (and what I typically use, "coincidentally" ( ;) ) it's pretty foolproof too), the Power Plus is the same machine with a more powerful motor and very similar to the G220.

All you'll need on top of that is a few good microfibre cloths and some wax to finish off, although there are various other optional extras (such as IPA [isopropyl alcohol], glazes, paint cleansers, etc. for after polishing).

 

If you're polishing, either by machine or by hand, I'd recommend following a full decontamination process first - this is your usual wash routine, tar remover, fallout remover and clay (or a clay bar) - all of which, will set you back the best part of £200 (with the DAS-6 polisher) at least, with wax/sealant (known as a Last Stage Product - LSP) on top of that.

 

Polishing by hand, you'll be best off (IMHO) with a decent polish or two (depending on the level of correction needed) and a decent polishing pad with some cut - I'd recommend the crimson for mild defects or the tangerine for heavier defects on the Z's paint - followed by wax/sealant. That'll set you back £65-80 (+LSP) but won't achieve as good a finish as a machine polish.

 

Decontamination followed by a glaze will set you beck about £60 (+LSP).

 

Alternatively you can combine the hand polish with the glaze option - to correct as much as you can whilst still masking whatever you can't. That'll set you back about £80 (+LSP)

 

 

LSP is a whole new topic ranging from a £10 pot of wax to £2000+ pot(s) of wax. The finish will ultimately only be a good as your prep work in the above steps, so choose the LSP on budget as much as anything - if you're using PB Black Hole glaze though, I'd suggest Natty's Blue for wax (which will need to be reapplied every 6 weeks or so), or EX-P for sealant (which should give you a couple of months protection per application) as both will sit over Black Hole nicely - you could even layer one over the other for added protection. If you're machine polishing, I'd recommend doing a diluted IPA/panel wipe type product wipe-down afterwards and applying CanCoat for 6 months protection between applications - CanCoat is easy to apply but it needs completely bare paint to bond to though so it's no use over a glaze and as such you'll want perfectly corrected paint before applying this really.

 

 

Alternatively, hand over a fistful of cash to someone who knows what they're doing and let them do all that for you. :lol: I've no idea of any detailers in East Anglia myself, but this might help - it's a map of Detailing World supporters, it's by no means a definitive list or any indication of quality but it's somewhere to start.

 

 

Finally, once the paint has been corrected, research the 2 bucket method and pre-washing to reduce the swirls in future. Also, re-mortgage your house, sell the wife, kids, everything you own and/or your kidneys because detailing is an expensive game to get into! :p

Edited by ilogikal1
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The "...detailing is an expensive game" comment made me laugh. The repair man today asked me what product I used to keep it so clean. I think he was expecting the name of just a shampo and a wax, by the time I'd been through the foaming, shampooing, clay bar, and paint cleaner he'd dozed off and missed the sealant and quick detail stages :lol:

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